So I was listening to Brock and whatever show today, and they were talking about what a lot of us on here have been talking about, about who we need to extend as Schneider was talking about with Clayton on Saturday. The main point of the discussion was of the young stars on this team, who should be the top priority to resign (Okung, Kam, Earl, Tate). Sherman and Russell were excluded since the Hawks can't even negotiate with them due to the new CBA.

There were quite a few people calling in and talking about Earl being a priority, buy the guys on the radio seemed to be talking crazy. They said that obviously Sherman would be a priority eventually, but were talking about how both safeties, Earl included, would be easier to replace in the draft, and that Seattle could move forward if they needed too without taking too much of a hit. Then Tom Wasl(sp?) went on to say that he thought Earl had a off year and wasn't that good this year.

I think Earl gets underrated, probably more by the casual fan then on here, but Earl makes this whole defense go. I know he doesn't have the huge int #'s that people look at first, and that didn't really start clicking until the playoffs. Without earl, you can't bring Kam down in the box and play as much 1 single high safety as you do. And as good as Browner is, I don't think you can get away with having a corner at his speed without someone like Earl to cover things on the back end.

Yeah, what they said. Without ET's range and capabilities we would not be able to run our D like we do. His low stat numbers are a result of the rest of the league knowing better than to challenge him. Much like will probably happen with Sherm. As QBs learn how he operates, he will not be able to bait them as effectively. Doesn't mean these guys aren't at the top of the league in value. Our secondary is scary good, and ET and Sherm are the best back there.

Talent can get you to the playoffs.It takes character to win when you get there.SUPER BOWL XLVIII CHAMPIONS

I think casual fans see Earl Thomas dropping INTs that hit his hands and that is what sticks with them. It's not like most fans go to Field Gulls and see the play breakdowns there and how ET has insane range that allows Sherm and Browner to be so aggressive in their coverage.

ET also doesn't bark at players in the media or on Twitter like Sherm does, and to lots of fans, noise = level of importance. That's why so many fans on ESPN and the like are shocked that James Harrison hasn't been signed yet, for an example of my point.

sutz wrote::13: Yeah, what they said. Without ET's range and capabilities we would not be able to run our D like we do. His low stat numbers are a result of the rest of the league knowing better than to challenge him. Much like will probably happen with Sherm. As QBs learn how he operates, he will not be able to bait them as effectively. Doesn't mean these guys aren't at the top of the league in value. Our secondary is scary good, and ET and Sherm are the best back there.

The back seven is built around Earl. He is the must keep of this bunch.

It's easy to overrate him when 75% of what he does doesn't show up on television aside from QBs looking downfield and checking down.

Seeing as we tend to play a 1-high safety and Earl is the centerpiece to that - he is certainly not going anywhere nor is he easily replaceable. Kam and Sherman are definitely more easily replaceable in our system than Earl.

Anybody remember that play where STL was in the red zone. Earl started creeping up, and Bradford hesitated on whether to run or not. He kept the ball, and Earl covered a span of 10-12yds in a split second. That's the first time I've seen Earl's speed show up like that. My jaw dropped. I almost broke my DVR watching that play over and over.

Agree with the Majority on this one. Earl is probably one of the more irreplaceable pieces on this team. He really enables them to play the way they do with all the ground he's able to cover back there.

Last edited by DJrmb on Mon Mar 18, 2013 5:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It's the plays that you don't see that make ET so good. QBs respect him too much for him to put up crazy numbers. You see Sherman putting up the numbers he does because teams would rather take their chances there than mess with ET. (Although they are learning that isn't really a great alternative. That's why the slot receiver because so crucial when playing our D). In my opinion, there is no bigger priority than ensuring he is a Hawk for life.

Wilson and Earl need to be kept as long as possible, as they are the keys to Seattle's dominance on their respective sides of the ball. Everyone else is just a replaceable role player to varying degrees.

misfit wrote:There were quite a few people calling in and talking about Earl being a priority, buy the guys on the radio seemed to be talking crazy. They said that obviously Sherman would be a priority eventually, but were talking about how both safeties, Earl included, would be easier to replace in the draft, and that Seattle could move forward if they needed too without taking too much of a hit. Then Tom Wasl(sp?) went on to say that he thought Earl had a off year and wasn't that good this year.

I'll need to re-listen because that doesn't sound at all what they normally say about ET. Keep in mind that that crew is pretty jet lagged from flying back from Ireland.

The only question that remains is whether he will leave the greatest safety in Seahawks history. Or is that sacrosanct speak around here. Diags?

Kenny Easley and I approve this message. Kenny never got his shot at playing FS. He had a little Earl and Kam in his game. But Earl has his own impact on the game. He starts catching more of those interceptions and the hype is going to grow for him. Little fellow doesn't shy from trying to lay the lumber.

misfit wrote:There were quite a few people calling in and talking about Earl being a priority, buy the guys on the radio seemed to be talking crazy. They said that obviously Sherman would be a priority eventually, but were talking about how both safeties, Earl included, would be easier to replace in the draft, and that Seattle could move forward if they needed too without taking too much of a hit. Then Tom Wasl(sp?) went on to say that he thought Earl had a off year and wasn't that good this year.

I'll need to re-listen because that doesn't sound at all what they normally say about ET. Keep in mind that that crew is pretty jet lagged from flying back from Ireland.

It was less Brock and more Eagan and Wasl especially. Brock's stance is that they will take the stance with Kam's agent that while Kam is good, the market isn't huge for a safety like him, and he is the most replaceable. Then Wasl started to ask if it seemed like he wasn't as good this year. Then Brock talked about how he got better at the end of the season and really came on.

misfit wrote:So I was listening to Brock and whatever show today, and they were talking about what a lot of us on here have been talking about, about who we need to extend as Schneider was talking about with Clayton on Saturday. The main point of the discussion was of the young stars on this team, who should be the top priority to resign (Okung, Kam, Earl, Tate). Sherman and Russell were excluded since the Hawks can't even negotiate with them due to the new CBA.

There were quite a few people calling in and talking about Earl being a priority, buy the guys on the radio seemed to be talking crazy. They said that obviously Sherman would be a priority eventually, but were talking about how both safeties, Earl included, would be easier to replace in the draft, and that Seattle could move forward if they needed too without taking too much of a hit. Then Tom Wasl(sp?) went on to say that he thought Earl had a off year and wasn't that good this year.

I think Earl gets underrated, probably more by the casual fan then on here, but Earl makes this whole defense go. I know he doesn't have the huge int #'s that people look at first, and that didn't really start clicking until the playoffs. Without earl, you can't bring Kam down in the box and play as much 1 single high safety as you do. And as good as Browner is, I don't think you can get away with having a corner at his speed without someone like Earl to cover things on the back end.

Am I alone here?

Not at all i think he's our Ed Reed or Troy P and none of their teams would be the same without them. If anything i think Kam could be replaced but definitely not Earl. I think Sherm and Earl are the corner stones of the secondary.

Tech Worlds wrote:I also think your avatar is criminally underrated and under appreciated

And undersized.

49ers webzone: Win or lose, i hope you injure Sherman. Like a serious career ending injury. I don't want him to get paid.49ers webzone: noise should not be the overwhelming reason a team is favored. they need to spray noise-damping foam onto the ceiling of that place.

misfit wrote:So I was listening to Brock and whatever show today, and they were talking about what a lot of us on here have been talking about, about who we need to extend as Schneider was talking about with Clayton on Saturday. The main point of the discussion was of the young stars on this team, who should be the top priority to resign (Okung, Kam, Earl, Tate). Sherman and Russell were excluded since the Hawks can't even negotiate with them due to the new CBA.

There were quite a few people calling in and talking about Earl being a priority, buy the guys on the radio seemed to be talking crazy. They said that obviously Sherman would be a priority eventually, but were talking about how both safeties, Earl included, would be easier to replace in the draft, and that Seattle could move forward if they needed too without taking too much of a hit. Then Tom Wasl(sp?) went on to say that he thought Earl had a off year and wasn't that good this year.

I think Earl gets underrated, probably more by the casual fan then on here, but Earl makes this whole defense go. I know he doesn't have the huge int #'s that people look at first, and that didn't really start clicking until the playoffs. Without earl, you can't bring Kam down in the box and play as much 1 single high safety as you do. And as good as Browner is, I don't think you can get away with having a corner at his speed without someone like Earl to cover things on the back end.

Am I alone here?

Not at all i think he's our Ed Reed or Troy P and none of their teams would be the same without them. If anything i think Kam could be replaced but definitely not Earl. I think Sherm and Earl are the corner stones of the secondary.

Wilson, Earl, and Okung are the three most valuable players on this team IMO.

We MUST keep Earl as he is a linchpin for our entire defensive philosophy. Next is Sherman, he is truly a shutdown corner and a game changer. I think Kam is more important than Browner as far as LoB is concerned but I think Browner being an older guy will not get a big payday and could be kept for cheap. If I had to chose between Earl an Sherm to keep both Kam and BB I'd let both Kam and BB go and keep both Thomas and Sherman.

Would you let either Earl or Sherm go just to keep Kam and BB? BTW i think they will do what it takes to keep them all together, I just worry we don't (and shouldn't) value Kam like he, his agent, and the market probably will.

I'm not going into Earl's virtues, as they've been stated already. I just hope extending him won't break the bank. He had a pretty decent rookie contract, I hope he accepts something similar with a pay raise that isn't extravagant.

The FO was REALLY high on Winston Guy after TC last year. He really impressed coaches and raised some eyebrows. While he's not a physical as Kam, he's reputedly better in coverage already. He's also a pretty decent sized safety, and if I remember right, he was a pretty physical run defender in college. Kam missed a few assignments last year, and doesn't have the speed to erase his mistakes. You don't HAVE to be fast to play safety in the NFL, but you better not make many mistakes, as speed helps mask those mistakes.

I don't know what Kam will think he's worth, but I don't see him as a fit in a lot of other defenses currently. The big problem is that there are teams out there trying to replicate our defense, and it's likely someone will over pay for Kam if he hits FA.

Earl is crazy young, like 23 still and has 3 fricking years experience in the league.

I watch him every home game, he backpeddles as good as any corner and can turn and burn to any given spot as part of the play from just about anywhere he is.

Just watch him live. You will see him covering ground like a MLB All-Pro Center fielder and he is involved with EVERYTHING. There is no play that he isn't chasing and getting a shot. Now, this is something you can watch with the entire defense. I do not know about the road, but at home, those guys are whistle to whistle, but Thomas just covers more ground. Browner is VERY active if you watch him and like Thomas, is a tackler. It is something to see for sure, because I watched the Niners, Rams, Cards, Pats, Jets and Cowboys just give up and it cost them.

The only concern I have and I mean only is that Bevell will get cute and pass even though Lynch is gaining yardage. 1/30/2015 - loaf

loafoftatupu wrote:Earl is crazy young, like 23 still and has 3 fricking years experience in the league.

I watch him every home game, he backpeddles as good as any corner and can turn and burn to any given spot as part of the play from just about anywhere he is.

Just watch him live. You will see him covering ground like a MLB All-Pro Center fielder and he is involved with EVERYTHING. There is no play that he isn't chasing and getting a shot. Now, this is something you can watch with the entire defense. I do not know about the road, but at home, those guys are whistle to whistle, but Thomas just covers more ground. Browner is VERY active if you watch him and like Thomas, is a tackler. It is something to see for sure, because I watched the Niners, Rams, Cards, Pats, Jets and Cowboys just give up and it cost them.

Watching the secondary do what they do is one of my favorite parts of watching a game live. The TV coverage these days is absolutely amazing, but they zoom in tight to the ball way too much. There's so much other stuff going on that you don't see with the typical TV camera angles.

FREE PEHAWK

Sac>CANI love Sac with all my heart, and wish I were half as handsome as he.

misfit wrote:There were quite a few people calling in and talking about Earl being a priority, buy the guys on the radio seemed to be talking crazy. They said that obviously Sherman would be a priority eventually, but were talking about how both safeties, Earl included, would be easier to replace in the draft, and that Seattle could move forward if they needed too without taking too much of a hit. Then Tom Wasl(sp?) went on to say that he thought Earl had a off year and wasn't that good this year.

I'll need to re-listen because that doesn't sound at all what they normally say about ET. Keep in mind that that crew is pretty jet lagged from flying back from Ireland.

It was less Brock and more Eagan and Wasl especially. Brock's stance is that they will take the stance with Kam's agent that while Kam is good, the market isn't huge for a safety like him, and he is the most replaceable. Then Wasl started to ask if it seemed like he wasn't as good this year. Then Brock talked about how he got better at the end of the season and really came on.

Wasl's points were about Thomas being more absent during the middle of the season, but didn't want to rely on the stat sheet alone regarding Thomas' value. I got the impression that he was thinking out loud, rather than believing his points as facts.

Brock and Wasl both agreed that Thomas came on strong at the end of the season. Wasl wasn't disputing that Thomas is one of the best players on the team. He is. His point was is he so irreplaceable that you pay him whatever he wants at the cost of retaining other players which, as a whole, make your team better. It's a very real discussion.

ensett wrote:the ONLY downside to Earl is that his hands are pretty bad. He drops more ints than he catches. But when thats your biggest problem as a DB, youre in good shape.

IMO Earle doesn't have a downside. Most of Earle's drops were balls that no other safety could even get to, and he more than made up for it with his amazing interceptions in the Buffalo and Redskin games.

ensett wrote:the ONLY downside to Earl is that his hands are pretty bad. He drops more ints than he catches. But when thats your biggest problem as a DB, youre in good shape.

That's a lunatic observation. Marcus Trufant has bad hands for a DB . . . The only Earl lacks in regards to INT's is opportunities. When you playing single deep safety, its very rare to be in position for clear INT's. 90% of the time you are running full speed just to converge with the ball or pass catcher.

McGruff wrote:Winston Guy sucked pretty bad the few times he was on the field.

I'm not sure if it's what you're trying to do, but Winston and Earl aren't direct comparables. I'm not trying to defend him, because Winston did have his struggles, but he's much more of a Kam Chancellor than he is an Earl Thomas. Winston gets up in the box, brings the blitz and plays the run. He has nowhere near the skills to play the single high like Earl does. Nobody on the team does and very few guys in the league do. I was hoping that LeGree kid would work out, but it turns out he was a spaz...

I think Winston will be a contributor as he gets more up to speed with the pro game and what Pete wants him to do. He's like the Bruce Irvin of the secondary; lots of tools, just needs to be refined. ...I think.

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Sac>CANI love Sac with all my heart, and wish I were half as handsome as he.

McGruff wrote:Winston Guy sucked pretty bad the few times he was on the field.

I'm not sure if it's what you're trying to do, but Winston and Earl aren't direct comparables. I'm not trying to defend him, because Winston did have his struggles, but he's much more of a Kam Chancellor than he is an Earl Thomas. Winston gets up in the box, brings the blitz and plays the run. He has nowhere near the skills to play the single high like Earl does. Nobody on the team does and very few guys in the league do. I was hoping that LeGree kid would work out, but it turns out he was a spaz...

I think Winston will be a contributor as he gets more up to speed with the pro game and what Pete wants him to do. He's like the Bruce Irvin of the secondary; lots of tools, just needs to be refined. ...I think.

Someone earlier mentioned replacing Kam with Guy . . . And I just don't see it. That's what I was responding to.

I do too. Echoing what others have said, I love Sherm, but Earl is the best and most important player on the defense.

Kam is replaceable in my opinion, he has unique size, but not a unique skillset. I don't think Pete would do it, especially with how much Kam plays up as the 8th man in the box, but I'd love to replace him with a better pass defender, like another Earl-esque Safety. Not necessarily undersized and likely wouldn't be as elite speed as Earl, but someone who gives Earl freedom to roam. With Kam, Earl is restricted to center field most of the time. Scheme wise it doesn't make sense, but in my madden infested brain I'd want another more FS type out there.

If I had to blow up the team and could only keep 2 players, they would undoubtedly be Russell Wilson and Earl Thomas. On such a talented team there is nothing underrated about that. He is the MVP of the defense about as much as Russ is the MVP of the offense. If someone doesn't see that then they aren't paying attention.

"If the opportunity presents itself, we're going to come get you. You’re part of the family. You're part of us. You helped us start this thing." - John Schneider before releasing Michael Robinson

It's hard for me to say that ET is under-rated. He is an All-Pro and Pro-Bowler and he's been on the Top 100 in the NFL too. To me, he is the spark that creates the wildfire that is our defense, much like Lofa used to before his body gave up on him. Earls abilities on the field are what give the other 3 DBs the freedom to do what they do best.

It's already been stated but I think it's important enough to say it again... Earl might let balls go through his hands but he is the ONLY guy in the league that can get to where these balls are. And let's not pretend that he has bad hands, many of his INTs are pretty spectacular and an ode to his athletic ability. And of course what he can do after the catch is just insane (reference the Buffalo INT this last year if you've forgotten). Simply put, most other Free Safeties out there don't even get within 2 steps of some of the balls that Earl is getting to.

To me, Earl isn't under rated, he is respected by his peers and the coaches, and the press. What he is, is a guy who until this last year was on a BAD BAD Seattle team that nobody had any reason to pay attention to. Sherman might be the mouth of the LoB, but if you ask me, Earl is the Heart, and the catalyst for what has made them the best Secondary in Football.

P.s. I met Earl's Father, Earl Thomas Jr. and that guy is awesome. He pulled me aside on the way into the Clink before the Cowboys game and pointed to my #29 jersey and said "What do you know about that player?" To which I replied "Earl is my favorite, he's a freaking stud." He looks at me and says " That's my son", he reaches for his wallet and shows me his Texas drivers license and then shows me a pair of Texas Longhorn Big 12 Championship rings from when Earl played in college, one on each hand. We spoke for a few more minutes (mostly me being in awe and blabbering on about how great it is to meet him and so on) we took a picture together and went our separate ways. That was pretty cool.